Thursday, December 25, 2008

Well, that didn't take very long. I have changed the name of the blog. It is now Acceptus Omnis, meaning "Welcome All." I was home at my parents' house with my wife and siblings for Christmas, and I told my family about my new endeavor. Upon hearing the name of my blog, they all stared at me dumbfounded. They all suggested I change the name, which, to be honest, I was never wed to in the first place. The original name was meant to be a play on Shakespeare's use of "Exeunt Omnes," meaning "Exit All." That was evidently not coming through. My brother had a great suggestion, "1.21 Gigawatts," a clear reference to my favorite movie of all time, Back to the Future. Unfortunately, that has already been taken. So, the current title is what we'll go with for now, until such time that I can think of something ridiculously witty that captures the essence of the blog precisely. It might be a long wait.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

By far, my favorite drama on television has to be the opus known as Lost. I know a lot of people (read: my wife) who find it too weird and to sci-fi-y and now too far down the rabbit hole to enjoy. I have to disagree. While yes, I am a bit of a geek (Collected comic books? Check. Sat on line for multiple hours for a Star Wars movie? Check. Get a little too excited by the name J. J. Abrams? Check.), lovers of well-written dramas of all types will enjoy Lost as well. Its themes of science v. faith, redemption, and purpose, as well as some kick-ass explosions and gun-fighting, and even a little sentimentality and love, offer the show mass appeal. If you've never seen the show, or if you once watched and allowed it to fall by the wayside, please watch the pilot episode by either buying the Season 1 DVD's, or watching it online -- I honestly feel these are the best two hours (90 minutes without commercials) of television during my almost 31 years on this planet. If you don't like it, feel free to tell me so in the comments below.

If you do like, watch the rest of Season 1, power through some dull moments of Season 2, and watch as Lost recaptures its place in the pantheon of TV in Seasons 3 and 4. You won't regret it. Also, do yourself a favor and take a trip over to Long Live Locke. Erika provides some really funny and thought-provoking recaps of each episode. Being able to read someone else's ideas about what is going on and what it all means thoroughly enhances your own viewing experience by challenging what you think the "truth" is. In the same vein, check out Doc Jensen's recaps, article and theories over at Entertainment Weekly. He LOVES Lost, and really gets down in the weeds of the show, which if I got paid to watch Lost, I would do as well.

No, this isn't going to be that kind of blog. Welcome to Intro Omnis Sententia, or Enter All Opinions. This is my first foray into blogging. Now, why, you may ask, am I starting a blog in the first place? Aren't there enough people bloviating out there about random stuff? Who would want to read my opinions on anything anyway? Well, I don't have the answers to those questions just yet. In fact, it is because I don't have those answers that I am starting this blog. While I may be able to define myself and my opinions in certain ways (progressive, Survivor-loving, Phillies-hating, etc.), I like to think I am rather open to other people's thoughts and positions. I find that engaging in conversation, debate and argument with those of differing viewpoints is rather stimulating and necessary for my own progress as a citizen of this country and of the world. Hence this blog and its title. I'd like this space to be a place where not only can I get some of my thoughts out of my head an expressed in some tangible form, but to open those ideas up to criticism and expansion.

Now, as for the topics of this blog, they will really cover anything that pops into my brain or you bring up. However, the focus, at least initially, will be on politics, entertainment and a little sports. As you will learn about me, I was a theater and political science double major back in college. Strange I know, but those are my passions, and as a reuslt, I have some opinions about those subjects. I used to work on Broadway (and my wife still does), was a special events producer, but am now an attorney with a focus on entertainment and intellectual property law. Further, despite always having an interest in politics and government, I became much more involved (read: obsessed) during the last two years and the presidential campaign. This is all to say that this blog will focus on these items, but will in no way be restricted to them. Again, I am aiming for a free-flow of ideas and opinions, so wherever that flow takes us, I am all for it.

As it is the holiday season, and this blog is just starting up, my initial posts will be shorter (well, except this one I guess) and mostly provide links to other interesting articles and posts that I read. Please take a look at the ever-expanding blogrolls to the right. This is where my daily quest for knoweldge starts, but by no means ends. If you have any interesting links, please share them -- we'll all be better people for it.

So, here we go. Thanks for getting through this first post, and hopefully you'll join me in a little conversation. Happy Holidays!